Monkeypox cases spreading in Europe, US, Canada and Australia

The latest new Monkeypox cases were reported in France, Italy, Sweden,USA and Australia. The cases are rising in European countries- United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal which detected over 40 suspected cases of monkeypox. The monkeypox virus is an orthopoxvirus, which is a genus of viruses that also includes the variola virus, which causes smallpox. Monkeypox is a zoonosis, a disease that is transmitted from infected animals to humans. Canada was the latest country to report it was investigating more than a dozen suspected cases of monkeypox after Spain and Portugal detected more than 40 possible and verified cases. Sweden and Italy also reported its first case of monkeypox Thursday. Human-to-human transmission of the virus is, however, limited. It can be through contact with bodily fluids, lesions on the skin, the respiratory tract or through the eyes, nose or mouth or by virus-contaminated objects, such as bedding and clothing. The United States reported its first monkeypox case Wednesday. A man in the eastern state of Massachusetts tested positive for the virus after visiting Canada. There's currently no specific treatment for monkeypox. Patients will usually need to stay in a specialist hospital so the infection doesn't spread and general symptoms can be treated. “Historically, there have been very few cases exported. It has only happened eight times in the past before this year,” said Jimmy Whitworth, a professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who said it was “highly unusual”.Monkeypox is most common in remote parts of Central and West Africa. Cases of the disease outside of the region are often linked to travel to the area.
Australia on Friday reported its first suspected case, in a man who fell ill after returning from travel in Europe. Portugal has logged five confirmed cases, and Spain is testing 23 potential cases. Neither country has reported cases before.The incubation period (interval from infection to onset of symptoms) of monkeypox is usually from 6 to 13 days but can range from 5 to 21 days, according to the WHO. According to the Central for Deseas Control and Prevention(CDCP), there were no reported cases of monkeypox for 40 years before it re-emerged in Nigeria in 2017. Though no vaccine has been approved for Monkeypox in Europe, Spanish health authorities have reportedly purchased thousands of smallpox vaccines to deal with the outbreak, according to Spanish newspaper El País. Monkeypox is a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox.